The vehicle safety requirements stipulated by institutes such as the New
Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) and the Insurance Institute for Highway
Safety (IIHS) are becoming more and more stringent and the associated test
procedures more complex. As a result, vehicle manufacturers such as
Chrysler need to install cutting-edge testing equipment in their own crash
test facilities, allowing them to develop products that meet the full range
of requirements of vehicle testing authorities in the future as well as
build safer, more reliable cars. For this reason, in spring 2013 the Group
commissioned the company MESSRING Systembau GmbH based in Munich to
comprehensively modernize and upgrade the central testing facility in
Chelsea, Michigan - the world-renowned Chelsea Proving Grounds (CPG). The
testing grounds have a size of approx. 3,800 acres and the CPG were founded
in 1954. MESSRING is the world's leading supplier of crash test facilities
and their components and has already implemented more than 100 large-scale
testing centers.

Chrysler ordered the cutting-edge MicroTrack system from MESSRING,
including a drive system with electric motor, M=LIGHT LED lamps, curb test
equipment featuring a special sled, and two new film pits. First, the
existing track system for accelerating test vehicles was replaced with the
tried-and-tested MicroTrack system. The system offers a major benefit: the
guide channel is much thinner than in conventional systems, allowing for
many more details to be captured in vehicle crash video footage from below
in the film pit - a key criteria for evaluating vehicle crashing behavior.
In older track systems, the wide guide channels obstruct the most important
details. Chrysler can operate the track system in two directions using the
same guide channel: towards the impact block inside the hall and towards
the outer area of the facility.

The narrower, nearly zero-clearance system for guiding the new trolley
also promotes better control of the test vehicle and higher precision in
terms of speed and point of impact. The highly versatile MicroTrack can be
installed with various lengths, ranging from a few meters (low-speed
systems such as RCAR tests) to several hundred meters, regardless of
whether the track system is located in a hall or outside. System
performance and precision have improved significantly thanks to the new
drive system. Vehicles with a total weight of 4.6 metric tons can now be
accelerated at speeds of up to 120 km/h along the 220-meter track.

In addition to a high-speed camera, you also need flawless illumination
of the impact zone in order to effectively document the exact moment of the
actual crash. The formula for success is relatively simple: plenty of light
promotes high depth of focus and short exposure times and therefore greater
detail for subsequent evaluation. More importantly, it's easier to observe
deformation of the vehicle bodywork, which is important for testing
engineers. For this reason, Chrysler opted for MESSRING's M=LIGHT LED
lamps. This technology is revolutionary in the crash test industry and was
installed in the US for the first time, at a customer's site. The 46 LED
lamps were all installed in the two film pits at the testing center. The
rear impact pit and the front pit at the impact block are both located
inside the crash test center's large-scale test hall in Michigan, which
measures 43 x 26 meters, and are both protected by a robust panel of
plexiglass.

When the installed light batteries are activated, the M=LIGHT LEDs
immediately deliver the maximum amount of light and the perfect color
temperature of approximately 6,500 Kelvin. Synchronizing them with
high-speed cameras can double the amount of illumination. The result is
crystal clear images from the floor of the tested vehicle during
impact.

A specialty of the American market is the curb test, and the crash test
specialist in Munich supplied all of the required testing equipment to the
American car manufacturer. This crash test examines the functioning of
restraint systems such as side airbags when a car flips over after impact
with a curb. The most important testing component is a special sled that
carries the test vehicle at an angle to the direction of acceleration. It's
propelled using the MicroTrack system and features targeted braking based
on special hydraulic dampers. A belt system prevents the car from flipping
over, so that the simulated impact with the curb doesn't destroy the test
vehicle. The product is a customized design for Chrysler.

Douglas R. Grimm, Impact Operations Supervisor at Chrysler, sees the
collaboration as extremely positive: "Even before we awarded the contract,
we knew that MESSRING is a respected company in the safety testing
industry. Teamwork throughout the entire project was very professional and
efficient. We're more than satisfied with the new system technology."

All the modernization and upgrade work was completed at the end of 2013
and only took eight weeks, allowing Chrysler to begin using the facility
again on December 20, 2013, following a successful final inspection. At the
Chelsea facility, Chrysler is testing all of the models in its extensive
range, from the Fiat 500 and heavy SUVs to the Dodge pickups.

The CEO of MESSRING Systembau GmbH, Dierk Arp, is delighted with how
smoothly the entire project went. "In the US, we've already designed, built
or equipped several crash test facilities and, still, we always feel a
sense of pride when we can work for companies as renowned as Chrysler. At
the moment, you can clearly see that there's a need for modernization of
existing vehicle testing centers in the US market. Companies haven't
invested the time and money for some time now. That's why we offer
non-binding analysis of systems on-site, so we can recommend suitable
upgrades where necessary."